Workshops and Classes

Personal Lensbaby instruction done by appointment - call or email for scheduling.

All workshop sessions will include lessons on exposure, lighting, composition, and digital workflow. We will also have sessions dealing with HDR images. Learn to shoot for HDR and how to work with software to create HDR images to enhance the look of your image. Critiques will be given while the locations are fresh in your mind.

Savannah, Georgia Workshop: March 20-22, 2009. Cost - $295.00. Photograph Georgia's first city, historic Savannah and the surrounding area in it's spring peak. Walk through the historic squares, visit Tybee Island, Fort Pulaski, Bonaventure Cemetery and photograph the fishing fleet in Darien, Georgia. Call for more information, (678)231-1752, or email David at davidakoubian@yahoo.com.

"Thanks so much for this trip. I had an absolute blast and really hope I can do this with you guys again." - Cecil H., Huntsville, Alabama

The Smokies Spring Workshop is Closed! Check out our Fall Workshops while there is still room.

Great Smoky Mountains Spring Photography Workshop/Tour: April 17-19, 2009. Cost - $295.00. The Great Smoky Mountains are world famous for their wildflowers. Wildflower enthusiasts make pilgrimages from as far away as Europe and England. Throw in the mix beautiful cascading rivers with new growth on the trees, foggy mornings, and layers upon layers of mountains, and this promises to be an incredible photographic opportunity.

Ellijay Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary. June 7, 2009. Cost $50. Hosted by Showcase Photo and Video, and presented by Tamron. Enjoy the opportunity to photograph some of North America's largest mammals in a controlled situation. The Ellijay Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary has helped to save hundreds of animals over the years and continue to rescue many each year. Some of the animals can never be released back into the wild and are kept at the Sanctuary to live. We will photograph Black Bears, both adults and 2 orphaned cubs, cougars (including a few of the rare eastern panthers), lynx, owls, hawks and other animals on site. In the afternoon we will walk down a trail that is a perfect setting to photograph many species of wildflowers native to the North Georgia Mountains. These offer perfect opportunities not only to capture images of wildlife and wildflowers but to try Tamron lenses for the perfect image. The wildlife is a great opportunity to utilize the features of the Tamron 18-270mm VC lens as well as the 70-200mm f2.8 lens. The wildflowers are a wonderful opportunity to see the clarity and sharpness of the Tamron macro lenses. Join David for a wonderful day of photographing rare animals and wildflowers. SOLD OUT.

The Grand Tetons Tour. September 21-25, 2009. Cost - $495.00. Join us as we photograph the jewel of the Rocky Mountains, the Grand Tetons. Photograph at iconic locations such as Oxbow Bend, Schwabacher's Landing, and the famous barns on Mormon Row, just to name a few. Space will be limited and sure to fill up fast!

“I have been attending Photography Workshops led by David Akoubian since 1999. Dave has not only taken us to some of the most renowned photographic locations, he has trained us on how to properly capture the light of the most amazing sunrises and sunsets at those locations. Despite reading a number of books on the subject, David’s methods and techniques have become the definitive basis of my whole approach to Outdoor Photography.” - Wilkie B., Jasper, Georgia

Great Smoky Mountains Fall Photography Tour. October 30-November 1, 2009. Cost - $249.00. The Great Smoky Mountains in all of their fall splendor. Quiet cascades, old barns and Whitetail deer on a foggy morning. Grand vistas for sunrise and sunset. (678) 231-1752. email: davidakoubian@yahoo.com.

"I would just like to thank you for the recent Smoky Mountain workshop, my sixth workshop with you. During each and every workshop, you have have not only provided excellent instruction, but always seem to put the workshop in the right place at the right time. This combination has resulted in getting images that I am proud to hang on the wall. I would highly recommend your workshops to anyone regardless of their photographic skills.

Thank you for making me a better photographer." - Rob L., Alpharetta, Georgia

Women in Focus Group. January 14th, 7-9pm. David will discuss his vision behind creating an image. Learn why an image is created as well as the process used to make the image.

The Atlanta Walkabout. January 18, 2009. A foot tour of downtown Atlanta. Photographing downtown buildings, people or whatever catches our eye. Limited to a very small group. We are going to discuss topics such as Lensbaby photography and HDR using programs such as Photomatix. Email me for more information: davidakoubian@yahoo.com. Weather permitting.

February 6, 2009. Southeastern Photographic Society. Monthly meeting. The subject for the month is: Landscapes. David will be doing a presentation on Landscape photography and then judging and critiquing the monthly competition. Visitors welcome.

February 9, 2009. Cherokee Photography Club. Monthly meeting and competition. The subject for the meeting is "Trees". David will be doing a critique and competition judging of the entries into the monthly event. Critiques are extremely helpful because they not only let the photographer know areas to improve on, but also areas they are doing right. Visitors welcome.

February 26, 2009. Pickens County High School. David will be doing a presentation for the Pickens County H.S. "Snap Dragons". The subject of the presentation is macro photography. David will discuss the proper techniques and use of specialized equipment for optimizing macro photography.

March 2, 2009. Roswell Photographic Society. 7-9pm. David will do a presentation on nature photography entitled "Defining Nature". He will discuss all the aspects of creating a nature image including: lens selection, exposure and composition.

March 19, 2009. Georgia Nature Photographers Association. 7-9pm at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. David will do a short presentation and then critique images submitted by members. The presentation is "Defining an Image".

April 4, 2009. Georgia Nature Photographers Association field trip to Arabia Mountain with Tom Wilson. David will be giving Lensbaby specific instruction during this field trip. David will demonstrate the use of Lensbaby lenses in landscape and macro photography.

April 20, 2009. Cobb Photographic Society. David will be lecturing on "The Creative Process". He will discuss the compositional elements of an image in addition the technical aspects as well.

April 27, 2009. Cherokee Photography Club. David will be lecturing on the; "Putting yourself in the right place at the right time" philosophy he uses in creating images.

May 9, 2009. Waterfalls tour of Northeast Georgia with Southeastern Photographic Society. David will lead a tour of the northeast Georgia mountains to view and photograph several waterfalls and rivers. Coordinated by Jack Martin (contact information on the SPS webpage). We will also stop for a special local lunch at the Dillard House.

May 14 and 19, 2009. Wildflower Photography Workshop and Field trip for the Mountain Conservation Trust of Georgia. On the 14th David will conduct a lecture on techniques of macro and wildflower photography at Pendley Creek Stables. This will be accompanied by a field trip/workshop behind Pickens County High School on the 19th. Please follow this link for information on registration through the MCT.

June 14, 2009. Waterfalls of Rabun County Tour with Cherokee Photographic Club. David will lead members of the club to his favorite waterfalls and rivers of Rabun County.

Lensbaby fieldtrips and workshops. Trips in and around the Atlanta area are being planned, including Centennial Olympic Park and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Please check back frequently.

If you would like us to do a presentation for your group please contact us for availability and details at (678) 231-1752 (David) or davidakoubian@yahoo.com.